After Time
by dragonheartt
Summary: Sequel to Beyond an Anomaly. A/B/C. :: Connor wants to fix the future he was tortured in. When an anomaly to that time opens, and they go through, the last thing they expect is to meet the accused criminal who looks just like Connor... who may be more than he seems... NOTE: You should probably read the fic beyond an anomaly first!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Plans

AN: This is the sequel of my other fic Beyond an Anomaly. Whereas the first was focused more on purely Connor!whumpage, this one's more about adventure, action, fluff, Connor using his smarts, hopefully equal opportunity hero!moments and whumpage, and time travel... and the territory that comes with time travel... Also, it's definitely ABC - Abby/Becker/Connor - fic.

:D

anyways! Hope you enjoy, and I love feedback! ;3

* * *

"I'm pretty sure that the place on the other side of the anomaly was the future - or at least, a version of it." Connor mused, fingers tapping at the keys of his laptop as he typed. "And I think…" he hesitated, "I wish I knew what happened to make that future scenario so… twisted."

Abby took a bite of her apple, munching on it, and wandered over, leaning over to look at the screen. Connor was writing down everything he could remember, with notations in italics of possibilities. The word 'paradox' caught her eye, but he scrolled down the page to highlight a different section, and she rolled her eyes.

"How do you know it's really 'twisted', though?" She asked, then added, "besides doctor Reni, and the Fredrichs bloke, of course… who could just be getting away with that sort of thing under the radar."

Connor made a noise of frustration in his throat.

"You weren't there, Abbs! The soldiers didn't question anything he did, and it seemed like everyone was afraid of 'im, even Johnson." Connor's tone softened at the mention of the man who had saved his life.

"I know, Conn. And you're probably right. But we don't know how far in the future it was - and we don't know any of their first names. How are you going to stop something from happening however-many years in the future?"

He turned his chair around to grin up at her.

"I've been working with the data from the anomalies. Tryin' ta work out a pattern in the numbers within the data we've collected,and what I managed to write down about Cutter's prediction model. I think I can work it out." He said with a grin, then paused and tilted his head. "Before the sedative completely knocked me out… or maybe I was already out, but I heard it anyway," Connor said slowly, thoughtfully, "I think I head 'em say they knew I w's innocent - and either they knew I wasn' the bloke they were looking for, or the man who looks like me 'n has me last name isn't actually a criminal at all."

"Don't you think you're assuming a bit too much, Conn?" Abby asked, concerned. He seemed to be moving on well at first, and then all of a sudden, he'd gotten focused on the mystery of the place beyond that anomaly. And now he was obsessed with it. She was worried it was somewhat-misplaced guilt over Johnson's death.

"Probably." He allowed, chuckling ruefully, before he sighed, saved the document, closed his laptop, and stood.

"Don't worry," Connor told her, "I promise I won't get obsessed with this. Nothin'll get between you, me , 'n Becks, yeah?"

Abby smiled, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"Thank you, Conn." She said. "I don't really mind you trying to figure this out, you know. If your research results in a way to predict anomalies, it'll be so helpful, and I know being able to do something useful makes you happy." He smiled at her. "I just don't want to lose you to the anomalies again."

"You won't lose me ta _anything_, love." Connor promised, understanding completely.

"Good."

They looked up in surprise as Rex flew into the room, chirping like a mad thing, before he settled on the bannister to the loft space of their new flat. His humans looked at each other, and Connor grinned. They knew what that meant.

* * *

"Anyone home?!" A voice called from the main room, the door closing behind them, confirming Connor and Abby's suspicions. They could hear the _Diictodons _scrabbling towards the lounge to greet Becker.

"Where've you been?" Abby asked, as she and Connor entered the room, both hiding the urge to grin behind mock- scowls.

"You're home late." Connor added with a pout, his eyes exposing his amusement.

Becker sauntered from the doorway to stand before them, raising an eyebrow.

"Monthly security checks got held up by the Dracorex – again" The soldier commented. "I got takeaways." He added, when their mock poker faces didn't break.

"Love ya, Becks!" Connor said with a sudden, big grin, darting forwards to snatch at the bag the two just noticed he was carrying.

Becker held it out of his reach, smirking at Abby, who laughed. Connor's eyes got a wicked glint, and he moved closer, smiling darkly at Becker. The soldier watched him with fascination and amusement, letting his eyes flutter closed as Connor leaned close, as if to kiss him – and stole the bag of takeaway from him, running out of the lounge. Becker sighed and opened his eyes.

"You fell for it again?" Abby teased, kissing his cheek. He hugged her.

"It's funny how he can shift from playing seductive lover to mischievous man-child in a heartbeat." Becker commented wryly.

"That's our Connor." Abby replied. "My choice on films today, so you go help Connor with plates and such, otherwise he'll take over from me and shove something sci-fi in the player." She said, chuckling.

Becker grinned and nodded, turning and following Connor.

* * *

_TBC!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Time

AN: This chapter really starts the action, though more on the part of an OC who'll be a big part of the fic, as well as on ABC, and plottyness. Yes, that's a word (no it's not). Anyways, as always, hope you enjoy this chapter... and hope it lives up to expectations...

[also, thanks for the reviews/follows, guys!]

* * *

A young man - dressed in a worn-looking leather jacket, vest that looked like it needed several good cleanings, and a pair of denim trousers that had seemingly been torn by hand or with a knife at the knee - stepped through the anomaly, looking around with wonder in his gaze at the junction: anomalies glittered along the banks of the streams and were dotted along the sides and top of hills. After a pause, he pulled a small rectangular device that looked almost but not really like a mobile out of his pocket, and then turned in a slow circle, pointing it at the anomalies around him. It made a soft 'bing' noise, and the man put it away, hefted the small satchel he carried higher onto his back, and ran through a silver-blue anomaly a few feet in front of him.

* * *

Connor crawled under one of the arches of the model he was recreating, pulling another hollow bit of piping with him, a pen, and a slightly crumpled piece of paper filled with numbers. He checked his calculation against the data, marked it so he'd remember he'd done it, and then fitted the piping into the model.

"Wow!" Abby said, stopping where she stood in the doorway. He didn't turn, but grinned at the surprise in Abby's voice. "You got a lot done!" She'd decided to check up on him, but hadn't expected this much progress in such a small time frame.

"Yep! I've got three more from Cutter's model to recreate, 'n then I'll have to add in the anomalies between then and now." Connor told her, "and I've been copying it onto a program on me laptop that'll make a 3D model, just to be on the safe side."

"Can I enter, or...?"

"Just be careful not ta touch anythin'."Connor said, chuckling.

"This is amazing, Conn." He beamed with pride. "We're one step closer to predicting anomalies." Abby murmured. Connor decided to keep his ulterior motives to himself, for now at least. His stomach rumbled just then, and when he glanced around at Abby, her eyes glinted with humor.

"Let me guess, you skipped lunch again." She asked, tone dry. He nodded sheepishly.

"I'll meet you in the break room in ten?" Connor suggested, smiling. Abby rolled her eyes.

"Fine."

Of course it was more like a half hour before he managed to pull himself away, but that was okay.

* * *

The young man knew he was back in his time, because he was being chased by soldiers with the ARC symbol on their jackets. _Home sweet home. _He thought dryly, darting into an alleyway. _Dead end... or maybe not... _The bricks on the wall before him stuck out just enough, staggered about a half-meter apart all the way (hopefully) to the top. The young man glanced behind him, smirking. They had got to be kidding him! What kind of soldiers were this lot, that they couldn't keep up with him?

_Then again, they haven't been traveling through time. Guess I'm much more fit 'n them now, for a change!_

With a shake of his head, the young man approached the wall, tested the bricks, and then began climbing. He slipped over the top of the wall and leapt down the other side (_Ow ow ow!Foot!_)just as he heard the soldiers again. He was moderately sure they hadn't seen him, but he still needed to get moving before they figured it out.

_I need to find out what today is here before I do anything else. Then I have to make sure the hideout's still secret.. And maybe a shower and change of clothes after!._

With that, he strolled out of the alleyway and slipped into the dozens of people milling about, effectively vanishing, despite his odd clothes, into the crowds.

* * *

"So since we obviously hadn't been able to the use the dating calculator, I've not been able to input any data on the future anomaly into the model. Yet." Connor said around a mouthful of sandwich. Becker pushed a can of Cola across the table towards his boyfriend, sharing a look with Abby, who sat beside Connor. He swallowed, barely pausing for a moment to take a gulp of Cola before continuing. "And in the last -" he checked his watch, "- half hour, I've plotted every anomaly up until the racetrack, and I also put in the one we came home through." He added, gesturing to Abby.

"Nice work, Conn." Becker said.

"Cutter'd be proud." Abby told him.

Connor beamed, and went on to explain that he'd hit a bit of a dead end with the research. There had been anomalies that weren't recorded, after he, Abby, and Danny went through the anomaly at the racetrack to stop Helen. The detector had picked up all of them, but there wasn't sufficient data for mapping them out.

"Maybe you need to take a break, look at it tomorrow with fresh eyes. Get some rest." Was Abby's suggestion.

"We know you want to figure this out, and we're not suggesting you take a break for selfish reasons. Both Abby and I genuinely think you're working too hard. Stepping back..." Becker began, pausing as Abby continued,

"relaxing at home with us, maybe watching something completely pointless on tele..."

"It'll help you figure it out without overwhelming yourself." Becker finished.

Connor sighed. They were right, but he didn't have to be happy about it.

* * *

The young man straightened the tee shirt, pushing his dark hair out of his eyes with his other hand. He narrowed his eyes at his reflection in the mirror, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly.

Behind him, on a grey wall barely lit by the single light source - an old desk lamp in the corner - was pinned several newspaper clippings, frayed at the edges. The biggest of them had a photograph of a pale, dark haired young man with dark eyes, a confused expression on his face. Above the photograph was a headline, reading, 'Murderer apprehended in Turing Case'. Beneath the picture was a block of words, condemning Mr. William Daniel Temple for his crime. The face in the photograph was that of the young man standing in the room, his back to the clippings. Will Temple knew the whole page by heart.

With a sigh, Will turned around, walking to the table in the corner. There was a pile of rolled up newspapers, next to which was day's issue, spread out on the tabletop. A year he'd been gone. There was no public outcry of his return, by which Will figured that Reni was keeping it quiet that he'd 'lost' the 'murderer'. He flipped aimlessly through the paper, not really looking for anything in particular.

He didn't expect the headline that caught his attention. It read: 'ARC Head Doctor Reni found dead' Will froze. Now that was surprising.

_How'd this happen? I congratulate whoever killed the bastard!_

* * *

_TBC!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 : Clue

AN: Sorry, short chapter today, and the next one'll probably be next week! I'm trying to pace this carefully, don't want to give too much away too quickly... But there'll be more scenes of our favorites next chappie. Anyways, hope you enjoy, and thanks for the reviews!

* * *

There were three anomaly calls over the course of the next two days, completely ruining any plans for a day off, and any plans Connor had to work on the model, as by the time they returned to the ARC, they were all exhausted.

Each time the ADD had gone off, Connor's heart began to race, and he was the first one at Jess' side, peering over her shoulder. Everyone but Matt and Jess looked at him like he'd grown another head, as at each call, he displayed the same level as enthusiasm whilst they were ready to take naps. He was disappointed - and also, strangely, relieved - each time the dating calculator told them that the anomalies lead to the past, and not the future.

After the latest Anomaly had closed, Connor carefully put the last component of the locking device into its case, snapping it closed with a sigh. Creature incursions, even the relatively non-life-threatening kind, took a lot of energy. They'd had to round up a herd of Anchitherium, which were small, quick little equines. The team had had to chase them all over the car park the anomaly had opened in.

"Conn." He looked around at the sound of Abby's voice. "Time to head back; come on, before Matt decides to leave us here!" She said, smiling tiredly.

"Right. Maybe I'll have time to add this one into the model before we go home..."

"As long as you're home in time for dinner, I can't complain." Abby told him. Connor chuckled, standing and following her to the cars.

"I'll try me best!" He replied. "Action man's turn for dvd's tonight, though, so I might skip out..." Abby swatted at him, and he danced away, laughing.

Matt honked the horn, and Connor stuck his tongue out at the team leader, refusing to walk faster.

"We're not in a rush ta get anywhere, Matt!" He called. Abby rolled her eyes. Becker leaned forwards from the back seat to look at Connor.

"You're not the one covered in mud!" The Captain complained through the open window. Emily shared a look of amusement and exasperation with Abby.

* * *

Will was finding it difficult to stay off the radar whilst trying to find out information about doctor Reni's death. The rumor mill didn't have anything conclusive, and the newspapers didn't say much. He wasn't even sure - he realized, with a pang - if his old friends still counted themselves as such, or if they'd turn him in without remorse. Will sighed. He didn't have many choices.

He headed out of his hideout, walking swiftly through the crowds towards an old ice cream parlour he used to go to as a child. There was a good chance Clue would be there, as the last time he'd been here, she'd gone to get ice cream ever day during spring. He could only hope she'd be willing to help him.

Will was pretty sure he wasn't being followed, but he took a detour and circled back to the parlour, to be on the safe side. He stopped before he reached the door, suddenly unsure and uncomfortable. He didn't have any money, and he'd raise suspicion if he sat in the parlour for hours for no reason.

"Oh!" The young man laughed, pulling out his mobile from a pocket in his trousers. "I'm a bloody idiot! I can call her..." He dialed the number, waiting impatiently. A passerby gave him a weird look, so Will leaned nonchalantly against the wall near the door, holding the mobile to his ear.

There was a crackle, and Will found himself holding his breath. "Hello?" A feminine voice came on the line, and Will grinned.

"Hey Clue!" For once he hoped his cousin wouldn't protest the use of the nickname.

"Will?! Oh my gosh, you're alive!? Where are you?" She blurted. He nearly fainted in relief.

"I'm by the ice cream parlour, you know the one, yeah?"

"I'll be right there! Don't you dare move a muscle William Temple!" He laughed - slightly hysterically, but hey, he was allowed it. He'd been so damn scared that his own family would believe he was a murderer. But he should've known: the Temple family had never liked Reni's ways, and didn't trust him. He was ol' Phillip Burton's grandson - and a much more dangerous man than the old man had been, by far, at least as far as what drove his decisions. (Burton, according to his grandparents' stories, had been manipulated by Helen, and was driven by his ego, but was still mostly moral. Reni had never been moral at all, as far as Will knew.)

"I'll be right here." He told her, as she hung up. He mused about his cousin. Claudia Young was her full name, but Will had always called her Clue. She was, in his opinion, the brightest of his cousins, and as close to him as a sister. He knew the story behind her first name, of course. His granddad had told it a billion times, about Nick Cutter and Claudia Brown...

Will hummed as he waited for Clue, tapping his foot slightly to the off-key beat. Eyes trained from a year of travelling through anomalies and the past kept watch for coppers and soldiers alike.

He wasn't sure he wanted to ask Clue to help him prove his innocence, but she still worked at the ARC, and ought to know something about Reni's death. Information was key.

* * *

Connor snored, face pressed to his desk where he sat in a chair in his office. A few centimeters away, his mobile lit up with 'Abby calling' on the screen, and buzzed quietly, vibrating against the tabletop. The scientist slept on. The computer screen before him was filled with a near exact copy of the physical model taking up most of the space in the room.

There was one difference: the simulation model had a section that was lit up, a red circle around a 'tag' at one intersection of 'piping'.

At the top of the page, in large font, the words 'Prediction made' flashed. Like the mobile, it went unnoticed.

* * *

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

AN: A little bit longer, and some more insight... sort of... into what Clue and Will have to do with ABC... ;3

And Connor makes progress! Ooooh! Hopefully this chapter moves the plot along a little more than the last... Hope you guys like it! Thanks for the reviews, guys! And you'll find out the answers to your questions, don't worry! :D

* * *

"He probably fell asleep at his desk again." Abby said, sighing. Becker handed her a cup of tea, sitting down across from her at the table.

"It's not like with Burton, you know that." The soldier said. Abby nodded.

"I know. And I support him completely."

"Me, too."

"But I'd hoped, y'know, that we would spend a little time relaxing, if anomalies allow, all together." Abby smiled, then and put her hand on his. "Not that I really mind it just being you and I, of course."

Becker grinned. "I have an idea. Why don't we go in early, surprise him? You wouldn't mind waiting a little longer for breakfast, right?" Abby's eyes lit up.

Soon the two were out the door and on their way to the ARC.

* * *

Connor woke, blinking owlishly to clear his eyes and his mind from sleep. The flashing of his mobile caught his attention first, and Connor grabbed it, nearly falling out of his chair.

"Ten missed calls?! Five texts?" Connor read the messages, and his face paled. "Shit!"

"What's wrong, Conn?" He turned around, a hopeful expression on his face, at the sound of Becker's voice.

"I fell asleep!" Connor said, dismayed. "And I was looking forwards to relaxing at home." He mumbled. Becker sighed, entering the room.

"It's okay. And to make it up to us, you can come to breakfast with us." Becker suggested, tilting Connor's chin up and kissing him.

"Sounds good to me!" The scientist responded, once they broke apart for air.

"Abby's waiting in the car." Connor started to get to his feet. Becker noticed the message on the computer screen as he turned, and tapped Connor on the shoulder. "Wait, look!"

Connor turned, and his eyes lit up, crouching over the laptop and typing a command in, eyes narrowed as he read the information that filled the screen. A grin formed on his face.

"It worked! Becker, it worked!" Connor cheered, embracing the other man tightly, nearly lifting him off the ground. Becker laughed.

"Okay genius, now let's get to breakfast, so you can get back to work sooner than later." Connor hesitated, but nodded, shutting the laptop with a snap.

* * *

Will gulped down the glass of water in one shot, flashing a smile as Clue sat down across from him. She'd arrived quickly to the parlour, leaping at him and hugging him within an inch of his life. She'd demanded to know what had been happening, but Will asked if they could discuss it in private. After buying ice creams for the both of them, they'd walked back to Clue's flat, a few streets away.

She placed a plate with a sandwich on it in front of him.

"You look thinner. Have you had anything at all to eat since returning?" He smirked at the motherly type of concern from his 23 year old cousin.

"Clue, I can take care of myself. I'm not here to eat you out of house and home, you know!" He paused and smiled more gently at his cousin. "Thanks, though."

"I just don't want you wasting away before you can clear your name." Clue told him, rolling her eyes as she ate spoonful of her ice cream. Will snorted, munching on the sandwich.

"So... what's the story? Last I heard, Reni'd accused you of killing Turing, you'd run off with that prototype anomaly device, 'n he'd claimed you'd killed yourself." Clue said, tone light.

"Sorry." Will saw the truth in her eyes: she'd almost believed that he was dead, hanging onto hope by a thread for so long. He explained his situation, ending it with, "I realized while I was runnin' for my life in the Triassic that I didn't want to keep running forever. I need to get proof, because the research Reni was doing - it's not just wrong, it's bad news, too."

"The other day there were rumors you were back." Clue said, after a moment. He looked at her in alarm.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean someone was brought in from an anomaly shout, and they were saying he was you." He stared at his cousin, unsure what this meant. "Reni tortured him." She added.

Will paled, shocked. He shouldn't have been, really, since he knew how immoral Reni was.

"Did you get to see the man?" William asked. Clue shook her head.

"Johnson apparently helped him escape. Reni shot Johnson for it, poor man, and then a soldier who looked a lot like granpop, only younger, killed Reni." She paused. "Fredrichs is still a problem, though,"Clue finished. Will's brain-gears started turning.

"So." He looked up from contemplating his sandwich (or so it looked from Clue's perspective). "How're we going to prove your innocence?" Clue asked, deadly serious.

"I... I think I have an idea. It involves breaking a few of our grandparents' rules, though." Clue grinned.

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

* * *

"I predicted an anomaly!" Connor announced later that day in the Hub. Everyone turned to look at him, and Jess gave a big grin and double thumbs up.

"An anomaly will open in the next two days." Becker added, clapping Connor on the shoulder.

"That's great news!" Matt exclaimed, a rare expression crossing his usually impassive face. The man grinned.

"Where is it going to open?" Emily questioned, joining Matt. Abby smiled supportively at Connor.

"St. Kilda's road in Harrow, 'bout 20 kilometers from 'ere." He told them, crossing to the ADD. With a bit of fussing between his laptop and the ADD and assistance from Jess, they soon had the anomaly prediction model up on the larger screen. "I tagged the room-size construction with the prediction too, and checked it. Can't say exactly when, but definitely within this time frame, and within a street or two of this 'ne."

"Great job, Conn!" Abby kissed him, and he beamed at her, cheeks a little pink.

"Becker, assign a few of your men to keep watch on Harrow, maybe have them stay in the area for the next 48

hours." Matt said. The soldier nodded. "Jess - "

"Surveillance on St. Kilda's road in Harrow, got it. Hacking the CCTV now." The tech finished, already typing away. Connor closed his laptop and watched the team's movements.

"I'll need the data about the anomaly later, but I'll work with what we have from the Anthitherium yesterday for now." Emily commented. She was working with Sarah Page's research, interested in the way anomalies, and their creatures, had influenced the myths and legends of human societies throughout history. Connor nodded absently, promising to give her the information as soon as possible. He went back to staring into the middle distance where he stood at the railing. Becker had gone to speak with his men, and Matt was in Lester's office, filling him in on Connor's prediction and what it meant for the team.

"Manny's been looking sad, y'wanna come say hi, love?" Abby asked from behind him. Connor turned to face her.

"Manny doesn't really like me. He likes Lester better." He told her. Abby chuckled.

"That's because you never have treats. Plus, i'm sure there's more info you could add to the database on Mammoths, right?" Connor laughed, but followed.

* * *

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Unlike previous chapters, this one is all about Will and Clue. Next chapter we'll catch up with ABC - Abby, Becker, and Connor. Hope you guys like it, despite the change-up. Thanks for the reviews, guys!

* * *

Despite their decision to break the rules, and discussions around that topic, anomaly alerts kept interrupting them. They were watching the tele when Clue realized she had a question.

"So." Will looked at Clue. "What happened? The truth - because Reni told everyone a pack of lies about you killing Turing, but I still don't know what really happened last year." She said, meeting his gaze steadily.

"It's a long story."

"I've got all the time in the world. Possibly." Clue told him, chuckling. Will cracked a smile at that.

"Okay." Will took a deep breath, and then began recounting the events of the previous year.

* * *

x-x-x-x-x-x

William Daniel Temple peered into 's lab, ducking down quickly when the man's assistant, Fredrichs, looked his way. He'd heard a rumor from his cousin Trent that Reni was going ahead with the current experiments.

Will was furious... and worried. Mark Turing didn't know what he was getting himself into, allowing the two men to use him as a lab subject. Besides which, Will had some say in things, and he'd told Reni that the experiments were too dangerous, and now the man was directly disobeying, without a care for what he might be doing!

He waited a moment and then peeked through the lab's glass window again, watching as Reni and Fredrichs strapped Turning down and started prep. This was bad. He had reason to suspect that Reni and Fredrichs were the cause of the future predators coming into existence. Will couldn't prove that, so he hadn't seen fit to mention it. He probably should've.

He also had plenty of reason to be against Reni's plans, regardless: the other 'subjects' all had developed health issues within weeks or months of the 'tests'. Will couldn't imagine how Reni and Fredrichs kept managing to attract people willing to act as subjects despite the knowledge that it was dangerous. He hoped he was wrong, because otherwise, this could go very badly for Turing, indeed.

x-x

* * *

x-x

Ten minutes later, and the monitor was going wild, the beeping that represented Turing's heart beat was all over the place. Fredrichs was panicking, and Reni - Will's blood boiled as he realized Reni was still stnading nonchalantly at his laptop, still recording all the information from the experiment regardless of the fact that Turing was very likely dying of what looked to him like ventricular fibrillation! Will left his hiding place and stormed into the room.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Reni?!" Will snarled, shoving Fredrichs out of the way. He pulled out the IV and set to work, trying to save Turing's life. He hadn't liked the man, but that didn't mean he deserved to die. The heart monitor beeped furiously, Turing's pulse was racing, and then dropping suddenly to barely beating at all. Will was terrified.

"Temple, what right do you have to-" Dr. Reni demanded. Will glared at him, cutting him off.

"Your 'subject' is dying, Reni! Do you not even care?!" While he spoke, Turing's heart rate became more erratic, and Will cursed, shoving Fredrichs out of his way again and grabbing the defibrillator.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

* * *

"I tried my best, but Turing flatlined. I couldn't save him." Will told Clue, his tone dull.

"It wasn't your fault." Clue reminded him gently. He shook his head.

"If I'd stopped them earlier, it wouldn't've happened. Turing'd be alive right now."

"And then they would've continued the experiments at some time when you weren't around to help, and he still would have died." She said firmly. "Okay?"

Will reluctantly nodded."I stood there for a while, couldn't really believe it had happened. 'N then I turned around - I was furious."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

* * *

Will glared at the two scientists, walking over to Reni, and grabbing his shirt in both hands.

"Your stupid experiments've killed him, Reni! Look at him, look what you've done!" Will yelled, fighting off Fredrichs as the other man tried to pull him back. Reni pushed him away, and Fredrichs backed off when Will turned his glare on him.

"I'm going to report you both. I'm going to expose your experiments for what they are, and you'll be in jail for life. You've basically murdered Turing!" Will told them, glaring once more before heading towards the alarm at the other end of the room.

He gasped as he felt a needle pierce the skin of his neck, and immediately felt woozy, slumping into the arms of one of the two men. Reni's face wavered into view, his expression falsely apologetic.

"Oops! I'm sorry, Mr. Temple. Fredrichs slipped and injected you with a low dose of sedative." The man said. Will scowled, weakly trying to fight to get free. "I'm afraid we can't allow you to expose our operation. You'll understand later, I imagine. Turing's death is, of course, unfortunate. But what we are doing here is of too much importance." Will let out a small sound of protest as he began to slide into unconsciousness.

"Shall we blame the death on Temple, sir?" Fredrichs suggested, his voice sounding far-away.

"Splendid idea."

Will didn't agree at all.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

* * *

"I was unconscious after that, 'n I woke up to find out that they had 'proof' I was responsible for Turing's death. I got outta there 's soon as I could, grabbed the prototype. The rest is history." Will said, adding the last bit with a hint of a smile. Clue gave him a hug. Her detector went off, drawing both of their gazes to the handheld device on the table.

"I've gotta go - sorry!"

Will nodded unhappily. He wished he could help. Being a medic who's not able to help is stressful.

"Wait!"

Clue stopped at the door, turning to face him.

"What?"

"You know what I said about breaking our grandparents' rules?"

"Yeah?"

"Tomorrow. We need grandad's help. There are files I need to get at, and grandma and grandpop'll be helpful too." Will told her. "And I mean their younger selves." He added. Clue grinned.

"That's what I hoped. Okay, tomorrow." She said, leaving the flat. Will paced. He wasn't the most patient of people.


	6. Chapter 6

Turing hadn't been his patient, but he'd still been responsible for his life - he'd been there, he could have- Will wasn't sure what he could have done to save the man, but regardless of what Clue said, and what logic told him, he still felt responsible.

It was, in a way, his fault that Turing had died, even if he hadn't been the cause. Will sighed, trudging through the small flat and flopping down on the sofa.

All this inactivity got on his nerves. Maybe, Will thought, he should spend some time catching up with the times. A lot can happen in a year, after all. Clue had left her laptop behind, so he swung up into a sitting position, grabbed it, and pulled it onto his lap. Luckily she had her password on the screen, because he had none of his grandad's skills with computers. This one was completely different from the ones he'd gotten used to using the previous year! It was not only a touch screen, but also was faster, smaller, and lighter than previous portable computers. And the databases had been expanded, especially the medical ones! Will, fifteen minutes or so later, was happily pouring over the new medical information uploaded.

* * *

The beep of their mobiles stirred Abby from sleep. Blearily, she glanced at the clock. 3 in the morning. With a soft curse at the anomalies for being so untimely, she extricated herself from the warmth of the bed - and the warm sleepign forms of Connor and Becker. The soldier's eyes flew open at her movement, and he raised an eyebrow at her, silently questioning.

"Anomaly alert." Abby said, just as their mobiles beeped once more. Becker sighed, and shook Connor awake.

"Whu'?" Abby couldn't help a chuckle at the adorably confused expression on Connor's face, and left Becker to explain why they had to be awake at this horrible hour of the morning, pulling a brush through her hair as she left the bedroom adn headed to the kitchen. They'd probably have time for an on-the-run breakfast, so she put on the kettle. By the time she returned to their room to get dressed, the other two were as awake as they were going to get (aka, Becker was wide awake, and Connor was... well, Connor. bleary-eyed but ready nonetheless).

"Mornin', love." Connor said, grinning as he pulled his second shirt on, trousers on but open. Kisses were exchanged, clothes were put on and righted, and com's turned on. Jackets thrown on, tea in hot cups, EMDs, detectors, and granola bars in hand, the three hurried out of their flat and to the SUV parked out in front.

"Where's the anomaly?" Becker asked, turning the key in the ignition and Abby and Connor buckled in as well.

"Hm?" Connor replied, distracted. Abby grinned at Becks, and checked her detector.

"It's... huh." She blinked. "The anomaly's at St. Kilda's road in Harrow. Isn't that...?" Abby began, glancing at the captain, who looked in the mirror at Connor in the back seat.

"Where Connor predicted the anomaly would be?" He finished, making more of a statement than a question.

"Wait, it worked?!" Connor exclaimed, catching on. Abby nodded, as Becker began driving. He'd been out there the day before, checking out the location and setting up SF's to keep an eye out. "Brilliant!"

"Wonder when it'll lead." Abby mused.

* * *

Clue was anxious as she entered the ARC after the anomaly shout. She wasn't normally on the field team, but everyone headed to work at the sound of an anomaly alert... and the team had requested she go with them. George and Meagan had been tense, and even the usually-oblivious Tam (one of clue and will's cousins) had to have noticed that something was off.

All Clue could think was that they knew about Will, which was impossible. She'd spent the whole time extremely tightly wound, and she knew she'd hurt Tam's feelings snapping at her at least once. She'd asked Meagan, Beta's team leader, what was up with the long silences and lack of smiles, and the other woman had muttered something about Reni's death, and firmly avoided giving a clear answer. Sighing, Clue had turned away and set up the locking device, feeling thankful that there was no incursion. Tam's fingers flew across the keys of her Log, the small tablet-like device balanced on her knees, as she took readings on the anomaly, took measurements of the magnetic field, and used the dating calculator to get an idea of when this tear in time and space led to, and imputed all of this information into the system.

Tam could do it all by heart at this rate, honestly. Clue once again wondered why the team had requested her presence. There was no incursion, so they didn't need her (she'd inherited her grandpop's abilities with any weapon - she was a sharp shooter and had passed all the tests for allowing field team members a weapon), and they weren't even talking to her at all...

Back at the ARC, after the very uneventful shout ended with the anomaly closing, the tension was practically visible through the halls, everyone kept to themselves, and there were no smiles, no gossiping and laughter. Reni's death could possibly explain it, but something about it all didn't add up.

Clue gave up thinking in circles, and went to find Rian. Being yet another of her cousins, and also more likely than Tam to be aware of the cause of the visible tension of the ARC's employees, she hoped that he'd be amenable to telling her what was going on. Rian was in his lab, bent over a Log of his own which he was scribbling some of his likely illegible notes on animal behavior, if she knew him at all. She cleared her throat to get his attention, and he jerked, looking slightly harried, before he noticed her standing in the doorway, and smiled.

Feeling better about this, Clue entered, and dropped into the seat on the other side of Rian's desk.

"You have no idea how happy seeing a bloody smile in this place makes me, cos." She said, scrubbing her hands over her face. Rian let out a bark of laughter.

"I know what you mean, Claudia. Everyone 'round 'bout is silent as th' grave!" He grimaced, putting down the stylus on top of his desk and tapping the screen of his Log to save his progress. Rian was one of few people who called her by her actual name, and it made her smile just as much as hearing Will call her by her nickname had.

Clue hesitated, and then leaned a little closer.

"That's what I came here to talk about, actually. Do you know why the... tension? I've been out of the loop lately, my own fault really, but..." She shrugged, turning her hands palm-out on the desk top. Rian nodded, brow furrowed.

He was an animal behaviorist, and humans were still animals, even if their reactions were much more varied. It meant he had some view onthis that she was just missing. Rian twitched his nose, a signal the cousins had made when they were kids when they were trying to spy on their grandparents to find out what presents they'd be getting. The signal meant 'be quiet', and even though the situation was different, Clue responded with a nod. He got to his feet and crossed the room, closing his lab door, and surreptitiously pushed a button on a device on the desk. A device that looked... familiar.

"One of Tam's?" She asked. He smiled.

"Yeh. I got this before all this began, actually, and it's come in handy. It disrupts signals from CCTV and sorts like that, meaning we can't be spied on if they're watching us." He said,grimly.

Clue sobered. "So...?" He nodded, and leaned back in his seat, sighing.

"As y' know, Fredrichs is in charge, in wake of Reni's death," She nodded. "Well, 'e's an absolute tyrant. A lab researcher protested th' new policies when they were announced yesterday evenin' - you weren't here, 'd be why y' didn't know - which're unreasonably harsh. So Fredrichs 'ad him arrested. For 'questionin' authority'." Rian said, voice dripping with disdain.

He continued in the same quiet tone: "It's makin' anyone what's been questioning Reni and Fredhrichs for the past few years both question 'im more... and it's what's with the quiet. Everyone's all 'fraid ta be th' next 'xample of Fredrichs' new stand." Clue looked at Rian with wide eyes.

"It's not jus' paranoia, though, Claudia." He continued, "He's 'ad several others 'oo spoke up taken 'way 's well. An' I heard that some'n visited the interrogation rooms - 'n apparently there's no one what's been arrested in there. So where've they gone? People're too scared ta say anythin', 'fraid they'll end up missin' too." Rian shifted in his seat and looking over her shoulder at the hallway. She turned and followed his gaze, watching SF's pass by. His own twin was one of the soldiers. She understood his caution now. If anyone knew he was talking to her about this... he could end up arrested by his own sister.

She reached over and surreptitiously turned off the device, hoping the interference would have been overlooked.

"Thanks, cos. Royally sucks you've gotta write up all these reports. I'd best be going, then." She said, slightly louder than normal, but hopefully not so noticeable either that it would draw attention. Rian looked confused, but she wiggled her eyebrows and twitched her nose, and he seemed to get that she was hiding their conversation. His expression shifted, and he shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Eh, it's alrigh'. I could always foist it on one of my assistants, but they do a worse job 'n I could ever." Clue half-smiled, and stood, going around the desk to give her cousin a hug.

"Talk to y' later, yeah?" Rian asked after she pulled away.

Clue nodded, even though, barring anomalies, she'd be going home to her flat in a few hours. She left his lab, closing the door after, and headed back to her own. She passed by Gail in her tack-vest and uniform, walking with Smith and Lee towards the armory, and waved to her cousin. The older girl smiled slightly, but obviously the atmosphere of the place was getting to everyone, as she didn't split off to talk to Clue like she normally would.

* * *

Clue was packing up to go home when the lights began flashing and the anomaly alert siren started blaring loudly. She probably had no need to stick around anyway, but nonetheless, Clue dropped her bag on her desk, and ran to the Hub.

Becca Mathers, the tech on ADD duty, was rattling off the coordinates in the coms, with a few people from not only alpha and beta, but the other teams as well, gathered around. Clue walked over to join them, lookign at the screens over Becca's shoulder.

"Okay, Alpha team, your turn." Becca said, "You know what to do." Her voice was almost bored-sounding, but there was an undercurrent of the same fear-driven tension that Clue now knew the reason for. Having missed the coordinates, and not really tech-savvy enough to figure out what was what on the screens, Clue moved closer as people dispersed, the members of alpha team who had congregated in the Hub (Paula Lagakos and team leader Kazimír Garnham) having grabbed their coms, now running towards the armory to meet up with the special forces soldiers who would be going with them.

"Hey." Clue said, smiling at her friend, who smiled hesitantly back.

"Yo. No more work for the day?" Becca asked, head tilted slightly. Clue shook her head.

"So, where's the anomaly this time?"

"Ah, it's down in Harrow... uh, St. Kilda's road to be exact. Ring any bells?" Clue shrugged.

"Not really. It's not my area really. I could ask Tam if you're really curious, she knows everything, practically."

"Nah, 's alright. You gonna go with alpha team, or head home?" Clue considered that, nibbling her bottom lip thoughtfully.

"I dunno. Might stick around, I guess... Help you keep and ear out on my cousins, and the rest of that lot. If you don't mind?" Becca smiled, shoving at the spare chair with one foot and causing it to turn outward.

"Sure, I could always use the help. And you'll be here to send if anything goes remotely pear

shaped!"

Clue grinned and plopped down in the seat, glad that the tension wasn't causing another of her close friends to be distant. The mention of the possibility of things turning pear-shaped worried her, but only distantly.

The team headed out, Rian, Gail. Lt.'Barky', Zoe, and Ayako (as well as the 3 other SF's that went with them) checking in by way of com's before the 'cars left the garage. Clue settled in for a hopefully boring anomaly shout...

* * *

TBC: Well that anomaly sounds awfully familiar... ;)


End file.
